1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to aquatic equipment and, more specifically, to an aquatic rescue station having life saving equipment for helping a person in distress in an aquatic environment. The aquatic rescue station includes a flotation device that is selectively detachable from a base that is located on a support pole securely positioned at or near the body of water. Upon selectively detaching the flotation device from the base, a plurality of alarm mechanisms are activated for notifying both people in the immediate vicinity and other public servants that there is a water emergency in progress and that a person is in distress. The alarm mechanisms can be at least one of visual, audible, and via radio frequency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While flotation devices for use in water emergencies are well known and have been in use for many years, these flotation devices are generally kept by lifeguards and those charged with the responsibility of guarding bodies of water. It has been noted that in many cases of drowning that the mere presence of a flotation device specifically intended for assisting a swimmer in distress would likely have prevented these tragedies from occurring. Thus, it is desirable to have life saving flotation devices positioned along the unguarded sections of various bodies of water. However, there exists a problem whereby these flotation devices are light and extremely portable and that such life saving apparatus can be easily stolen or tampered with thus reducing the effectiveness in aiding in a water emergency. The present invention creates an apparatus which allows for the desired placement of life saving flotation devices along unguarded sections of a body of water while including anti-theft mechanism which would ensure that the life saving flotation devices would not be misused or stolen.
Numerous other types of Aquatic alarms, security and rescue stations exist in the prior art. Typical of these are U.S. Pat. Nos. 391,376, 2,111,309, 3,675,257, 4,155,132, 583,221, 2,260,109, 3,754,291, 4,577,262, 947,446, 2,690,152, 3,945,067, 4,702,715, 1,773,462, 3,099,845, 4,033,276, 4,841,892, United Kingdom Patent No. GB2085812 and Canadian Patent No. CA1206042. While these aquatic devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.